Mercedes reveal brutal development limit as Antonelli faces back-of-grid start at Monza

The Silver Arrows have found themselves locked in an increasingly tight fight at the front of the field, but team officials have acknowledged that rivals could potentially bring more upgrades during the season simply because they have greater manufacturing capacity. Boss Toto Wolff fears that McLaren have a stronger car after their Dutch GP win.

Mercedes, however, are not prepared to respond by endlessly throwing new parts at their car. Merc's trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin explained that Mercedes will likely produce one fewer floor and one fewer bodywork package than some of their rivals over the course of the season. It comes after Wolff explained their cost cap limitations.

Shovlin said: "Over the season, we will probably produce one fewer floor and one fewer bodywork package than other teams. You could introduce new parts at every race if you had the money to manufacture them, perhaps using outsourced capacity. The principal constraint is cost.

"We would be concerned if the performance deficit exceeded the gains we can see ready to come through the wind tunnel. That is not the case. We are reasonably confident that much of the current picture comes from the phasing of updates, although Zandvoort also left us asking whether we extracted the maximum from the car."

Deputy team boss Bradley Lord confirmed that Antonelli is expected to start the Italian Grand Prix from the back of the grid, rather than merely taking a 10-place penalty.

The penalty is linked to Mercedes' need to introduce additional power-unit hardware following reliability problems earlier in the campaign.

And Antonelli may not be the only Mercedes driver affected.

Lord confirmed that George Russell will also require an additional set of hardware at some stage, although Mercedes have not yet decided where he will take his resulting penalty.

That leaves open the possibility that Russell could face the same fate as his younger team-mate later in the season.

Lord said: "For Monza, we expect him [Antonelli] to start from the back. George is also likely to require an additional set of hardware at some stage. That is the legacy of the reliability problems earlier in the season."

Shovlin admitted Mercedes have regretted taking penalties at the Italian circuit in the past, but the characteristics of the 2026 Monza layout could make recovery easier this time around.

The circuit is considered particularly energy-starved and features four overtaking zones, meaning Mercedes believe a faster car should have opportunities to fight back through the field.

He added: "We have regretted taking penalties at Monza in the past. Degradation has often been low, the cars run low drag and therefore create a smaller tow, and the DRS effect has been limited because the rear wings are already very efficient.

"This year, however, Monza is an energy-starved circuit with four overtaking zones. A driver cannot defend all of them, so a faster car should be able to make progress relatively straightforwardly.

"The primary factor is when the hardware is needed. We have lost internal combustion engines at relatively low mileage, so we know we must introduce new components by a certain point. If that falls at a circuit where starting at the back would be particularly costly, we may choose to bring the change forward.

"We also lead both championships, so there is logic in taking the pain now rather than adding pressure if the margins tighten later in the season."